China's latest message to its people: the United States is evil, do not go there.

In recent days, the government has released two new travel alerts for citizens heading to the United States, while the official media has stepped up their anti-American rhetoric. This is the latest indication that Beijing is engaged in a prolonged trade war between the two largest economies in the world.
The administration of US President Donald Trump raised May 10 tariffs on Chinese goods worth $ 200 billion, from 10% to 25%, before threatening the Chinese giant's Huawei technology of a possible ban on exports.
In response, China has increased tariffs on US goods worth $ 60 billion last Saturday and is committed to launching other "necessary countermeasures".
On Tuesday, the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism warned its citizens against the risks of traveling to the United States, citing recent cases of "shooting, robbery and theft".
On the same day, the country's foreign ministry – along with the Chinese embbady and consulates in the United States – issued a security alert for Chinese citizens, citing "repeated harbadment" of Chinese nationals in the United States. United States by local law enforcement.
Both opinions advise Chinese citizens to "raise awareness of security issues" in the United States. They intervened shortly after an alert from the Ministry of Education that warned Chinese students and academics about the dangers of studying in the United States because of growing visa problems.
"Enemy of the world"
The new travel advice did not come in isolation.
The ruling Communist Party in China has launched a campaign of commercial war propaganda, with recent efforts – relayed by the state media – focusing on the "commercial harbadment" and "hegemony" of United States. In a remarkable article, published on Tuesday labeled "the enemy of the world".
Scathing anti-American editorials and commentaries quote everyone from French President Emmanuel Macron to the 18th-century philosopher Adam Smith, but the media began to refer to a very specific and bloody battle between US and Chinese forces during the Korean War 1950-1953.

Little known in the West, the Battle of Triangle Hill in 1952 – or Shangganling in Chinese – was glorified in China for decades as a turning point in the war when the stamina and sacrifice of Chinese soldiers led to the "defeat" of American invaders.

Although the death toll remains in dispute, the Chinese army and US-led UN forces have suffered thousands of deaths after more than 40 days of fierce fighting. In Chinese articles, textbooks and movies, however, over-exploited Chinese soldiers have become the undisputed winners.

"The US military has paid a price so heavy … that Triangle Hill has become their" Heartbreak Hill, "said a comment posted Monday on Chinese social media by an account placed under the country's authority in cyberspace . "It was a decisive moment when the world recognized (the strength) of China and its armed forces."

Claiming that the Chinese film of the battle, decades old, was enjoying growing popularity, the online article contained a video interview with a combat veteran, calling him "the spine" of new China ".

The state broadcaster CCTV also aired an old documentary series called "The Great War to Resist the United States and with the help of North Korea," accompanied by historical footage and a patriotic narrative.

In a lengthy comment published Wednesday in the party's Study Times newspaper, the author reviewed the US-China negotiations during the Korean War and left little doubt about the intent of the article.

"After two years of negotiations, the world has shown that: what the US government has not managed to get to the negotiating table, it has still not managed to get the use of War planes and cannons, "he said.

Stay calm and rational

Some Chinese observers are skeptical that Beijing's tough media strategy will yield positive results.

"Does the Chinese side think it will be able to use more and more vitriolized propaganda for domestic purposes without angering the Trump administration and further reducing the chances of a return to short-term negotiations?" , Said Bill Bishop, publisher of the popular Chinese online newsletter Sinocism. to his readers on Wednesday.

Even before Beijing issued new travel alerts, US government statistics showed that Chinese visitors to the United States had dropped more than 5%, falling to 2.99 million euros in 2018, when the commercial war that lasted all the year began 15 years.
And of all the international students studying at US universities who contributed $ 39 billion to the US economy during the 2017-2018 academic year, more than a third came from China, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators, based in New York.
With the latest warnings from the Ministry of Education, some badysts are already predicting a drop in the number of Chinese students attending US universities, while others say that anxiety and the panic are exacerbated.
"I can not speculate on what each government thinks or can do, but I do not see any (US visa issue) among hundreds of our students," said Tomer Rothschild, co-founder of Elite Schools of China. a Beijing-based educational consulting company that helps around 150 Chinese students enroll in the best American universities each year.
"I tell parents to stay rational and stay calm," he said.